Beware of your lip balm!

This cold, windy weather has probably got you reaching for your lip balm more than usual. But have you ever thought about what you are really putting on your lips and whether it is it actually good for you?

For years the beauty industry has relied on petroleum-based products to moisturise lips, but this is a poor solution for two reasons:

Petroleum is a non-renewable resource that may be contaminated with cancer-causing agents called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Ingesting too much of it can also lead to upset stomachs and diarrhoea.

Petroleum jelly doesn’t have an actual healing effect as it isn’t absorbed by your lips. Instead, it creates a seal and prevents air from drying your lips out. However, the petroleum jelly can actually make your lips more chapped in the long-run by preventing them from naturally producing new layers.

Unfortunately, a lot of ‘natural’ lip balms actually use petroleum jelly in their products, but don’t list it as an ingredient on the packaging.

Lucas PawPaw Ointment, one of the most popular lip balms on the market in Australia, actually contains petroleum. It even says so on their website.

So what alternatives are there?

Plenty! You just need to (1) look for ‘organic’ and (2) read the back of the product packaging to check the ingredients are plant-based.